Ubiquiti UNVR UniFi Protect 4-Bay Network Video Recorder

The Ubiquiti UNVR (UniFi Protect Network Video Recorder) is a 1U rack-mount recorder with four drive bays, a quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 processor, 4 GB of memory, a Gigabit RJ45 port and a 1/10G SFP+ port. Drives are not included.

The datasheet states that four 8 TB drives in RAID 5 can hold up to 30 days of 4K video from 15 cameras, or Full HD video from 50 cameras.

A dedicated recorder for UniFi Protect cameras

The UNVR runs the UniFi Protect software and stores footage on up to four 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives. Because the bays open from the front panel, drive changes need no rack removal. The tech specs page lists management by UniFi Protect, UniFi Access and UniFi Connect, camera capacity of 60 Full HD, 30 2K or 18 4K cameras, and support for 150 or more access hubs. The datasheet’s own example (15 4K or 50 Full HD cameras) is more conservative, so use that for planning.

Features from the datasheet

• 4 drive bays, 2.5 or 3.5 inch HDD or SSD, front-accessible
• Mobile app and desktop access to recordings
• Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 at 1.7 GHz; 4 GB memory; 8 GB on-board flash
• Maximum power consumption 100 W; 75 W maximum power budget for drives
• USP-RPS DC input for backup power
• LED indicators for power, Ethernet, SFP+, HDD and RPS
• (1) 10/100/1000 RJ45 and (1) 1/10G SFP+ network ports

Technical specification

Sizing storage

Retention depends on bitrate, resolution, frame rate and motion. As a derived rule, halving the retention period roughly doubles the number of cameras for the same disks, but verify with the UniFi Protect storage estimator. RAID 5 gives one drive of fault tolerance, not a backup, so keep critical clips exported elsewhere.

Network load (derived): a recorder receives every camera stream on one uplink. If the average stream is 8 Mbps, 50 cameras produce 400 Mbps, which fits the Gigabit port; higher bitrates may need the 10G SFP+ port. Use the configured bitrate of your cameras. Power draw is 100 W maximum, of which 75 W is the budget for drives, and the internal supply is 120 W.

Installation notes

Mount in a rack, fit drives in the front bays, connect the Gigabit or SFP+ port to the camera switch and adopt the unit. Place the UNVR on the same network as the PoE switches that power the cameras, for example the USW-Pro-48-PoE. The operating limit is 40 C, so ventilation matters, and drives add heat.

Drive note: the bays take 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives, and the 75 W drive budget is shared by all four, so check a full set of high-capacity disks against it.

GCC applications

Typical uses are warehouses, car parks, retail, hotel back-of-house and construction camps across the GCC where on-premises recording is preferred to cloud storage.

Selection and installation notes

Plan the network device from the site layout and the load it will carry. Check the power source and the PoE budget, the port speeds and uplinks, the operating temperature range and the mounting position, keep a margin on the number of clients and cameras, and set a strong administrator password when the device is first adopted into the management system. Back up the configuration after commissioning and record the firmware version.

For a video recorder, calculate the storage from the number of cameras, the resolution and the recording days required, and use drives approved for continuous recording.

Information needed for a quotation

Send the full model code, the quantity, the delivery location in Oman or the GCC, the intended use and any accessories needed, so that the complete package can be quoted together.

Documents and supply information

The manufacturer data sheet is attached to this page and should be read together with the project specification and the site risk assessment before a purchase is confirmed. Ratings, standards and dimensions are quoted as printed on that sheet. Lead time, stock position and certificates available with the shipment are confirmed in the quotation, and we supply to Oman and the wider GCC region for industrial, utility and building services projects.

Related products

Use with UniFi PoE switches, the UDM-Pro as gateway and USW-Flex for remote camera clusters. See Industrial Communications.

Related Ubiquiti products: Ubiquiti U6-Enterprise UniFi 6E Tri-Band Wi-Fi Access Point, Ubiquiti UDR Dream Router Wi-Fi 6 Cloud Gateway with PoE, Ubiquiti USW-Flex 5-Port PoE+ Compact Switch, -40 to 65 C, Ubiquiti U6-Pro UniFi 6 Pro Wi-Fi 6 Access Point, Ubiquiti U6-LR UniFi 6 Long-Range Wi-Fi 6 Access Point and Ubiquiti USW-Pro-48-PoE 48-Port PoE++ Managed Switch, 600 W.

Documents and quotation

Quotations for the UNVR come from Seven Star LLC, independent supplier, Muscat, Oman. Provide the quantity, camera count and resolution, and the retention period you need and we will confirm what can be delivered and when. Drives are not included; tell us if you need them quoted. For reference, the Ubiquiti UNVR datasheet is available on this page.